Zombies have a knack for invading the works of Joe McKinney. Now they come bearing prestigious hardware.

The San Antonio-based author recently won the 2012 Bram Stoker Award for superior achievement in a novel with his undead chiller “Flesh Eaters.” The Horror Writers Association doles out the haunted house trophies, so named after the “Dracula” writer, for the best literary contributions to the genre. This marks McKinney's first win and third nomination.

The third novel in McKinney's four-part “Dead World” series, “Flesh Eaters” chronicles a hurricane-flooded Houston teeming with zombies hungry for trapped survivors. Emergency Ops sergeant Eleanor Norton struggles to bring order to the quarantined chaos, and in the process protect her husband and daughter.

It's the kind of horror-drenched law enforcement scenario fans have come to expect from McKinney, who also helps run the city's 911 dispatch center as a San Antonio Police Department sergeant. McKinney has spent 15 years on the force, with stints that include homicide detective.

McKinney shared his thoughts on the Stoker win and what monsters he wrestles with when crafting his flesh-crawling narratives.

Q. In “Flesh Eaters” you transform Houston into a flooded cesspool of the undead. What is it about this book you think resonates so much with its readers and the Stoker judges?

A. I have to give a shout-out to (“The Walking Dead” comic creator) Robert Kirkman. I think he's done more for zombies than anybody since (“Night of the Living Dead” director) George Romero. I started writing zombie books right when the zombie craze kind of got started, so I was on the ground floor on that. So a lot of it was just good timing. ...

Also, one thing that I've really tried to do with my horror fiction is to come at it with characters who are different, who have a very unique take on things. Obviously, I do a lot of police procedural stuff in my horror fiction. And being a cop, that comes across with a little bit more authenticity, I think, than most people usually are accustomed to seeing.

But also “Flesh Eaters” is the first time I've featured a strong female lead to take the whole narration through. That resonates with a lot of readers, especially female readers, who like to see cool chicks doing cool things.

Q. Your novels also have their share of floods, as well as the undead. Why add such a natural disaster to what's already a supernatural disaster?

A. I grew up in Clear Lake. I remember as a kid when Hurricane Alicia hit ... I remember my family and I huddled in the hall closet and my mom hugging me so tight she left bruises on me because how scared everyone was. As a young kid, that left a huge impact on me. It was right about the same time I first saw “Night of the Living Dead.”

I confronted these two huge horrors, one obviously the made-up one on TV and the other this very real power of nature ... I wanted something that would kind of resonate with people.

Q. You've also put San Antonio through the literary wringer with tales of the city attacked by zombies and stricken by a deadly flu pandemic courtesy of virulent grackles. Given your San Antonio connection, is there anything you won't do to the Alamo City?

A. I know a lot about the city, and I know a lot about Houston. Austin will probably fall in my crosshairs eventually, too, as will the Texas-Mexico border to be sure. These are all areas that I'm familiar with ... For instance, I'm in love with the Texas Hill Country. So it won't be long before that love turns to blowing stuff up.

Q. You also write crime fiction in addition to horror and science fiction. Given your police background, how much do you draw from cases and general law enforcement experience in your writing?

A. As you probably know, SAPD has some very specific rules about writing for publication. Officers are not allowed to write about cases that they've been involved in. Officers are not allowed to write or discuss current cases. There's a very important reason for that. Obviously there's a public trust issue ... So that's a level of trust that I'm not willing to violate. Not only because it's my department's regulations but also just because it just smacks of indecency to me.

It's all made up, but whenever possible I build off of actual disaster mitigation plans, things like that, things that are publicly available.

Q. Your “Dead World” series wraps with “Mutated,” which comes out Sept. 1. What can you tease/tell us about that conclusion?

A. This one is going to take place eight years in the future of the events that I've set up. The zombie holocaust is worldwide and we have just a few survivors left.

One of the characters that picks up from a previous novel is a character who was immune to the zombie virus. This guy has been sort of the delightful idiot that sort of wanders. You could think of him as sort of the Forrest Gump of the zombie apocalypse. He's immune to the virus, and we may or may not have a renewed hope for humanity through him. A measured savior, I guess.